Turks and Caicos, September 11, 2017 – Providenciales – The Turks and Caicos Islands Airport Authority (TCIAA) has announced the reopening of the Providenciales International Airport (PLS) for scheduled flights as of 11AM today, Monday, September 11th.
“The Airport Authority remains committed to the safety of aircraft, passengers, staff and other uses of the airport,” said Lavern Skippings Reynolds, its Terminal and Marketing Manager. “We regret any inconvenience caused and passengers are asked to contact their respective airline for flight scheduling.”
It was only last Thursday, through to the early hours of Friday, 7th and 8th September respectively, when Hurricane Irma, a Category Five Hurricane hit the Turks and Caicos Islands. As a result, the Islands experienced extreme winds, heavy rainfall and intense storm surge. Irma was the most powerful storm to make landfall.
Initial reports from the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies (DDME) indicated localized flooding, damages to property (chiefly roofs) and landscaping, along with electricity and communication outages; however, teams are currently rectifying them at a speedy pace. Fortunately, there have been no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
HOTEL PRODUCT
During the months of September and October, many hotels and resorts are historically closed annually for refurbishments. Owing to Irma’s passage, some properties have now elected to close to assess any damages that may have occurred and are expected to reopen at the beginning of October 2017. The travelling public is asked to contact properties directly for updates. Additionally, villa properties are expect to be operational in the short term and persons are invited to contact them directly, to determine their availability.
Mr Ramon Andrews, Director of Tourism said: “Destination Turks and Caicos remains strong in the face of this storm. Our product is resilient. We pride ourselves on making every effort to return to normalcy as a country. Our relationship with our guests is a symbiotic one, one which we respect and cherish. It is indeed our pleasure to welcome you back to ‘Beautiful by Nature’ Turks and Caicos. Please do holiday with us soon”.
For Visitors to the Islands in need of further assistance, kindly contact the Turks and Caicos Tourist Board at:
New York Office: 1.800.241.0825
Canada Office: 1.866.413.8875
London Office + 44 (0) 207 034 7845
